The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3846 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,010 out of 3846
  2. Mixed: 542 out of 3846
  3. Negative: 294 out of 3846
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  1. ChuckB.
    May 3, 2007
    10
    The deepest and most rewarding game I have ever played.
  2. TimothyM.
    Apr 16, 2007
    10
    This is really one of the most addicting games ever created. The world is huge, there are tons of quests, and there are so many variations of characters. This is not the normal type of turn based RPG. This mixes the two worlds of RPG and FPS in a beautiful almost seamless way. There are few games that I have played and been sucked into. This is one of them.
  3. GLCarpinter
    Apr 7, 2007
    2
    I can't believe all the fellatio for this game. I played this game for some time, and yes, I had fun. There were a few good points such as: some inspired side-quests, graphics, combat and horses. However, the lack of gameplay started to set in and I'm not going to touch this game again, ever. The things that ruined it for me were: the voice acting (Patrick Stewart being theI can't believe all the fellatio for this game. I played this game for some time, and yes, I had fun. There were a few good points such as: some inspired side-quests, graphics, combat and horses. However, the lack of gameplay started to set in and I'm not going to touch this game again, ever. The things that ruined it for me were: the voice acting (Patrick Stewart being the exception here), a crappy main plot, levelled loot, levelled enemies and a lack of books. It doesn't matter how pants-creamingly awesome your graphics are if the actual game sucks moose dick. If you want to play an awesome RPG, play Baldur's Gate 2 or Planescape: Torment.… Expand
  4. DarkE.
    Apr 5, 2007
    7
    Good fun, and huge world, but hugely overrated by the gaming press. Very weak main storyline and the combat could have been better. Sneak and Magic system satisfying although slightly disappointing.
  5. TheWasp
    Mar 25, 2007
    8
    The only down side to to this game is (was),you can not attack while ridding on your horse.
  6. J.K.
    Mar 25, 2007
    8
    Oblivion good, but definitely not on the level of the hype it's received. The game is great fun while it lasts, but after playing through the main quest and each of the main factions, you're just about done. Yeah, that's a lot of hours, but the so called "limitless exploration," reviews that you see all over the place really aren't accurate. Definitely worth a buy, but Oblivion good, but definitely not on the level of the hype it's received. The game is great fun while it lasts, but after playing through the main quest and each of the main factions, you're just about done. Yeah, that's a lot of hours, but the so called "limitless exploration," reviews that you see all over the place really aren't accurate. Definitely worth a buy, but this game could have been perfect if there were real roleplaying elements; the quests mostly don't have multiple ways of completion, and player-NPC conversation is limited to single word choices.… Expand
  7. TomA.
    Mar 23, 2007
    8
    This game is definitely fun. The graphics are excellent. You are free to explore a large world. The game developers seemed to only use about 5 different voices for hundreds of non player characters. In a game where everything is focused on quests, the realism is goes out the door fast. I would also like to say that this game has a lot of very repetitious elements so if you can rent it This game is definitely fun. The graphics are excellent. You are free to explore a large world. The game developers seemed to only use about 5 different voices for hundreds of non player characters. In a game where everything is focused on quests, the realism is goes out the door fast. I would also like to say that this game has a lot of very repetitious elements so if you can rent it you'll enjoy it more. Oblivion was fun for about two weeks.… Expand
  8. ColbyA.
    Mar 23, 2007
    9
    Okay, I won't waste your time rephrasing everything everyone has said here. Great Graphics, Great gameplay (imo), but the scaling system is seriously flawed, yes. My suggestion? If you buy this for the PC, find a modding site and download a scaling modification for the game. Oblivion for the PC was -made- to be modded, so find mods that fix the game how you want it, and play. Okay, I won't waste your time rephrasing everything everyone has said here. Great Graphics, Great gameplay (imo), but the scaling system is seriously flawed, yes. My suggestion? If you buy this for the PC, find a modding site and download a scaling modification for the game. Oblivion for the PC was -made- to be modded, so find mods that fix the game how you want it, and play. It's definitely worth the money and the time.… Expand
  9. JackF.
    Mar 6, 2007
    7
    Not a deep CRPG, more like a mindless action adventure. Not a worthy successor to TES2: Daggerfall and TES3: Morrowind, in my honest opinion. The term 'dumbing down' that the fans came up with, is not far from truth.
  10. DamienN.
    Feb 11, 2007
    10
    ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! If you haven't bought it buy it this instant you haven't a clue what your missing out on! Ticks all the right boxes (GFX, SOUND, quantity of quests) and on top of that CPT Jean Luc Picard is in it to so BUY IT!
  11. AnonymousMC
    Feb 10, 2007
    6
    WAY too much hype. The main storyline is terrible, very linear and also short, the main quests are too repetitive. There is hardly any nice stuff to get and not nearly enough armor to choose from. The autoadjustment of levels does more bad than good. The graphics need a lot of hardware power, the setting is too common for my tastes and everything looks too similar. What remains isWAY too much hype. The main storyline is terrible, very linear and also short, the main quests are too repetitive. There is hardly any nice stuff to get and not nearly enough armor to choose from. The autoadjustment of levels does more bad than good. The graphics need a lot of hardware power, the setting is too common for my tastes and everything looks too similar. What remains is exploring the world, many nice sidequests and good combat. But if both story and setting are simply boring as hell, what's the point?… Expand
  12. BenA.
    Jan 14, 2007
    10
    Simply the best game I have ever played, beats Halo or Gears of War Hands down. Simply eye popping - mind blowing visuals, a brilliant story. A must have for ANY RPG fan. Also fear not if your computer isn't good enough to run it, there is a mod called Oldblivion that alows older/worse computers to play the game!
  13. MikeD.
    Jan 13, 2007
    10
    This is a single player for World of Warcraft. Trust me, nothing got near World of Warcraft other than this game for the single player role playing game.
  14. misteritisa
    Jan 13, 2007
    10
    When Morrowind came out no one would've care.But when this one came out,every eyes envied this game.Seriously who would've thought a game will be this BIG,BEAUTIFUL,and still it was not complete(user can add mod they like to the game).This one for sure is one masterpiece.People who compare this game to Dark Messiah is an absolute retard.
  15. PhilP.
    Jan 2, 2007
    10
    Hands down one of the best games I have ever played. And I have been playing games since the 2D side scrolling Duke Nukem games. Not only does it offer an easy 100+ hours of gameplay, it is fun and engaging all the way through. Not only does it have the main storyline, it has like 3 guilds, the dark brotherhood, and the arena to go through that could almost be a game in themselves. Throw Hands down one of the best games I have ever played. And I have been playing games since the 2D side scrolling Duke Nukem games. Not only does it offer an easy 100+ hours of gameplay, it is fun and engaging all the way through. Not only does it have the main storyline, it has like 3 guilds, the dark brotherhood, and the arena to go through that could almost be a game in themselves. Throw in physics oriented combat, and just the sheer coolness of the world and everything you can do with it (water walking shoes rock), and this game is light years ahead of other games of this genre. Not only that, but it pulls it all together with incredible polish. I can't recommend this game enough. The only downside is that it might be too long! Some players may lose interest and have to take a break from it. But do come back, you won't be disappointed.… Expand
  16. PedroViegas
    Dec 28, 2006
    10
    This is the best rpg ever, an innovation and package of brand new experiences for role playing game lovers.
  17. JoshAckerman
    Dec 18, 2006
    10
    Oblivion is in my top three all time
  18. erichopmann
    Dec 15, 2006
    4
    Although it´s a good game it gets boring after a while. I´ve played it until lvl 16 and i think it´s always the same. play gothic or dark messiah
  19. Sotamarsu
    Dec 1, 2006
    1
    This game doesn't differ from Morrowind very much. Ok, graphics are nice and it's long and large game, but if you want to make "the best" or even great character you have to for example start as magical hero to be strong fighter or thief or vice versa. And if you level yourself fast by wandering around you can hardly beat the game later if you made bad training decision. What I This game doesn't differ from Morrowind very much. Ok, graphics are nice and it's long and large game, but if you want to make "the best" or even great character you have to for example start as magical hero to be strong fighter or thief or vice versa. And if you level yourself fast by wandering around you can hardly beat the game later if you made bad training decision. What I mean is that the leveling and skill system aren't what I want from a RPG. So I give +2 for graphics, +2 for large gamearea +1 for idea, -1 for mimicing Morrowind, -3 for horrible leveling and skill system… Expand
  20. TImmah
    Nov 19, 2006
    10
    Perfect, but only because that's how I made it. The game Oblivion that comes in the box that you buy is nothing similar to the game you can end up with after browsing through all the mods available. I have customized almost every aspect of the game to suit my tastes and pacticular configuration. Not to mention correct and compensate for some really bogus deisgn ideas in the standard Perfect, but only because that's how I made it. The game Oblivion that comes in the box that you buy is nothing similar to the game you can end up with after browsing through all the mods available. I have customized almost every aspect of the game to suit my tastes and pacticular configuration. Not to mention correct and compensate for some really bogus deisgn ideas in the standard game, such as how everything levels up with you. Horrid, that. 1) Most textures have been replaced with higher quality (many 4Kx4K!) ones. Landscaping, buildings, equipment and character skins. 2) Most overly complex models (such as the 80-polygon grass) have been replaced with just as pretty, but much more frame rate friendly replacements. 3) Franseco's Level Up Mod turns Oblivion into the RPG style game it isn't. By gradually introducing new monsters and making certain battles minor, or epic. Also adjsuts the rate at which skills increase. a must have for traditional D&D fans. 4) Complete econmic overhaul, including a bank and supply and demand, there are several options available. I prefer powerful items to be expensive, and common items to be cheap. 5) Special Effects such as Parallax, Darker HDR nights, improved Sky boxes and complete weather overhauls! These make Oblivion look more like the work of art is truly is. 6) Added vegetaion and bugs and cats and dogs and mice and butterflies. You can instal a whole zoo of creatures to the cities or outdoors. 7) Quests for houses, weapons, armor, I have a house in every city! Filled with mad loot, mostly junk, but some funky items such as black lights and glowing orbs! 8) The days passed by too fast, I use a time-dilation mod. 9) An incredible dimensional pocket, so you can store anything and everything in either a lush beach, or a hellgate, or a fully equipped mages tower, with every reagent growing in flower beds! 10) A mod-manager that when installed, checks your mods against each other to see if there are any problems. I currently use 45 mods, some very comprehensive, such as a complete UI reskinning and a combat behavior mod that runs every few seconds. So far, no conflicts that hinder play! Best of all, I know there are going to be more fascinating mods of things I can't imagine yet, but I will probably say, "why didn't I think of that" in the future. Oblivion is the first game that I have had more fun with the more I play it, since I can constantly adapt it to how I want to expereince that world. I'm hooked!… Expand
  21. MC
    Nov 12, 2006
    9
    While not perfect (due to a few minor issues with gameplay and a general "emptiness" of the game world), this game is certainly a must-have for all those who like freedom of exploration. Outstanding graphics, excellent soundtrack and the epic scale of the environments (especially outdoors) make Oblivion an excellent sequel to Morrowind. Kudos to Bethesda Software!
  22. bosochargedhercegovan
    Nov 4, 2006
    0
    the graphics are drab, unbearable shit. i just want to tear the screen apart when I see them. its almost as if the developers mixed up their own spit and vomit and used that as inspiration. second, the artists are hired from some shitty mental insitution where they have daily art lessons. there is absolutely NOTHING inspiring or captivating about them at all. Decade old games like Mariothe graphics are drab, unbearable shit. i just want to tear the screen apart when I see them. its almost as if the developers mixed up their own spit and vomit and used that as inspiration. second, the artists are hired from some shitty mental insitution where they have daily art lessons. there is absolutely NOTHING inspiring or captivating about them at all. Decade old games like Mario or Zelda have more interesting and for the most part better graphics than oblivion. oblivion makes use of innovations like antialiasing and ASF and thats it.

    second the engine used is shit. gamebryo?? lol are you kidding. the programmers are shit. ever1 that worked on this game were the bottom scrapers of the industry. That is because Bethesda is a cheap-arse company that spends all its money on promotion and making crappy movie tie-ins.

    NWN2 is out now!! its not as good as i thought but kicks Obliviooons arse anyday.    … Expand
  23. KevinB
    Oct 16, 2006
    9
    ok...i got a bone to pick with some of you..."OMG IT GOT TO HARD!" First of all there is a skill setting in the options menu...if it gets to hard, put it down a tad...and if its all the way down and you're still getting your butt kicked, well then you just suck, because the very first fight i got in i owned some poor sap in red robes with my fists alone...so complaining about it beingok...i got a bone to pick with some of you..."OMG IT GOT TO HARD!" First of all there is a skill setting in the options menu...if it gets to hard, put it down a tad...and if its all the way down and you're still getting your butt kicked, well then you just suck, because the very first fight i got in i owned some poor sap in red robes with my fists alone...so complaining about it being too hard is not allowed...and other people who say its not revolutionary...it's THE biggest game world created to date...not to mention the graphics...have you seen the graphics in alot of games today? they suck...perfect example: the new Scarface game...ive seen better graphics on the playstation 1...instead of enjoying the game for WHAT IT IS, most of you people immediately look for all the flaws...no game is perfect, quit complaining and enjoy the damn game...thats what its for!!!… Expand
  24. AmberD.
    Oct 1, 2006
    7
    Despite this plot being a mockery of the one before it (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind), it is an amazing game. Graphics are astounding, when at their highest. I am aware that the system requirements for this game are, to be blunt about such matters, bullshit. On a 2gb Intel processor, you will not be able to run this game. At the least, I recommend a 3.7 Athlon. I am running it at Despite this plot being a mockery of the one before it (The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind), it is an amazing game. Graphics are astounding, when at their highest. I am aware that the system requirements for this game are, to be blunt about such matters, bullshit. On a 2gb Intel processor, you will not be able to run this game. At the least, I recommend a 3.7 Athlon. I am running it at GeForce 7300 LE 512 meg graphics, of course, so you can understand that I am biased to the graphics because I can have it at highest settings… Expand
  25. DaveO.
    Oct 1, 2006
    5
    I'm wasting little time here with more commentary on the game itself. It's already been done to death, dug up, and flogged repeatedly from every possible angle and point of game design philosphy that could be imagined. Clearly, under the light of any form of truly objective scrutiny, Oblivion (for the PC at least) is at best an average RPG. What has truly amazed and disappointed I'm wasting little time here with more commentary on the game itself. It's already been done to death, dug up, and flogged repeatedly from every possible angle and point of game design philosphy that could be imagined. Clearly, under the light of any form of truly objective scrutiny, Oblivion (for the PC at least) is at best an average RPG. What has truly amazed and disappointed me is the rabid fanboi-ism displayed by some of professional gaming press prior to, upon, and shortly after its release. I bought it, based on my experience with Morrowind, and partly because of the hype, and was bitterly dissapointed. I also happen to work in a large tech call centre (+150 people) mostly populated by insane gaming nutcases, (love 'em) and they have also largely panned this game. (and yes, I do have a VERY high-end PC, I am one of those gaming nutcases) Jebus guys, there is even one review in this list that spends most of it's time crying over the faults, and still comes up with a....90%! Get real, and respect your gaming public.… Expand
  26. SebastianM.
    Sep 11, 2006
    10
    Immersive and extensive game play makes for a great - and lasting- experience; enhanced blending visuals.
  27. JakeL.
    Sep 4, 2006
    9
    fantastic. i could play it for hours.. one of the best games I have ever played.
  28. AS
    Aug 25, 2006
    8
    Well, by now should be fairly clear that this game was made primarily with Xbox in mind. I must despite the hype about the graphic, I was quite disappointed. The
  29. AnonymousMC
    Aug 23, 2006
    6
    Considering how hyped this game has been, it would have to be the best game ever made (and 20 times as good as the second best) not to be incredibly overrated.

    It's a good game in a lot of ways. There is a ton of opportunity to play the game in different ways. The range of characters you can develop feels almost limitless and the span of the world is huge. I have three main    Considering how hyped this game has been, it would have to be the best game ever made (and 20 times as good as the second best) not to be incredibly overrated.

    It's a good game in a lot of ways. There is a ton of opportunity to play the game in different ways. The range of characters you can develop feels almost limitless and the span of the world is huge.

    I have three main beefs: instability, quest fragility, and NPC lameness. Instability doesn't affect everyone, but it affects people across a wide range of computing power. On the PC it crashes at minimal settings even with reccommended hardware. It crashes overclockers and non-overclockers, patched and unpatched versions alike. It's even been known to crash the console! nothing ruins a high immersion game like frequent crashes.

    Quest fragility is another problem. A lot of quests can be broken if you do things slightly out of order. It's not all that common, but this isn't some half-assed budget game like KOTOR II. It's oblivion. Things should just sort of work. On a related note, the way horses work sucks.

    The NPCs are my last complaint. Their facial expressions are totally wrong all the time. When people are flipped out, their eyes are supposed to get bigger, not smaller. This is not rocket science. All that work went into making faces life-like and varried, but the expressions are creepily unnatural. How is it that the most touted RPG of all time has NPCs that look so much worse than the ones in HL2 - a first person shooter?!

    This is an almost great game and if I hadn't experienced so much instability, I might let the other complaints go. Still maybe we can all stop pretending that this is the best game since Sliced Bread Challenge Ultra (remember that game?) and get real.    … Expand
  30. MarcO.
    Aug 6, 2006
    7
    Oblivion is the greatest game in terms of the massive amount of freedom and mods. There are countless mods/plug-ins for Oblivion and that is what i like. Even though the plug-ins cost a small sum it doesn't bother me. This game has somewhat little to no realism in terms of the jumping and weapon damage, physics etc etc. But I don't expect it to be perfect because nothing is Oblivion is the greatest game in terms of the massive amount of freedom and mods. There are countless mods/plug-ins for Oblivion and that is what i like. Even though the plug-ins cost a small sum it doesn't bother me. This game has somewhat little to no realism in terms of the jumping and weapon damage, physics etc etc. But I don't expect it to be perfect because nothing is perfect. And the most disapointing fact is that it has a tendency to crash ALOT. Other then that all is fine. Story line is okay. It's basically another life, i hope they patch up the technical problems, crashing glitches etc etc… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2006
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    It’s just so damned big. That’s what you’ll say after playing Oblivion for more than an hour. Or, for that matter, 50 hours.
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  2. Game Over Online
    96
    Oblivion is by far the closest I have come to playing D&D Sunday afternoons with my friends (yes, I did that, though I’m on medication now), all wrapped up in a stunning package with tens of thousands of lines of spoken dialog and good music.
    Read full review
  3. Quandary
    100
    I honestly have to say that I am in favour of most of the changes and I think Oblivion is an awesome achievement from Bethesda.
    Read full review
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